A New Normal
by bessandhank
Summary: Set after the events of 4x22. Life in the McCord home will never be normal again.
1. Chapter 1: Can't Normalize

Hi guys! I have never written a fic before, but I decided I would give it a shot. I hope you enjoy!

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Elizabeth hasn't felt herself since the world almost ended. Like she said the night it happened, she can't normalize. But how could she? The world was almost blown to pieces because of an out-dated system, and ever since, there's been a persistent nauseous feeling in the pit of her stomach.

She thought letting the world in on their little secret would make her feel better, but it did not. If anything, she felt worse than she had in the days before coming clean. Maybe because coming clean made her job even harder.

After what felt like a lifetime to Elizabeth, a treaty with Russia to take the ICBMs off of hair-trigger alert was born. In reality, it only took a month, but it was a month filled with constant headaches, endless meetings, masterful negotiations, and incessant nausea. Thankfully, though, by the end of this terrible month, they were able to reach an agreement everyone can live with. The reactions have been overwhelmingly positive, and a majority of senators have given their support to ratify the treaty. The entire State Department breathes a sigh of relief as it appears all of their hard work and long hours have paid off. They are one step closer to fixing a broken system.

"Reform is exhausting," Elizabeth tells Henry as she climbs into bed next to him and lays her head on his chest.

"I know, babe, but I'm so proud of you. You and your staff have worked hard to make this world a safer place. I— " Henry tapers off as he hears his wife's quiet sniffles. He looks down and sees her beautiful blue eyes glistening with tears.

"Babe?" he questions, but she can't answer. One look at him is all it takes for her to start crying. Streams of tears begin uncontrollably running down her cheeks.

Henry, not understanding but wanting to comfort her, pulls her into a hug. He kisses her, strokes her hair, and whispers in her ear how much he loves her as she soaks his shoulder with her tears. Eventually, her tears stop coming, and her breathing begins to steady. They lay there safe in each other's arms in comfortable silence for a while until Bess moves to face Henry.

"I'm sorry," Elizabeth whispers but avoids making eye contact. Instead, she focuses on playing with the buttons on his pajama shirt. He gently places a finger under her chin and lifts her head so that their eyes meet.

"Elizabeth, you don't have to apologize. Talk to me. What's going on with you," Henry says. He knows the past month has been really difficult on her, but this is unlike her.

The tears well back up in her eyes before she can respond. Henry wordlessly wraps her into his arms and gently places her head onto his chest. He runs his hands up and down her back and watches as the steady rhythm of his heart beat lulls her off to sleep. Only after he is sure that his wife is fast asleep does he allow himself to relax.

The next thing Henry knows, he is being woken up by the sound of retching. Half asleep, he reaches over to Elizabeth's side of the bed and finds it empty. He opens his eyes to see his wife in their master bathroom clutching pathetically to the toilet bowl as she vomits. His heart breaks as he enters the bathroom and sees how pale and fragile she looks. He wets a washcloth and places it on her forehead.

This startles her a little. Elizabeth didn't even know that he was awake. She had been too busy gagging to notice him come in. She looks up and gives him a weak smile before her body begins to heave again. The next fifteen minutes are spent on her knees with her head over the toilet emptying her stomach contents. Once she is pretty sure that she's done puking, she uses what little energy she has left to shakily back herself up against the wall.

Henry sits down next to her and hands her a glass of water. A grateful Elizabeth takes a small sip then rests it on her thigh. Her fingers begin to tap on the glass as she stares directly ahead and bites her lip. Nearly 25 years of marriage allow Henry to know not to even bother trying to talk to her right now. She is lost in thought, and all he can do is watch.

He begins to pray. For Henry, helplessness is the worst feeling in the world, and the only way he knows how to handle it is to turn to God. He prays for his wife and his kids until he hears Elizabeth chuckle.

This quickly turns into hysterical laughter. An uncontrollable belly laugh that soon has Henry laughing too. He doesn't even know why they are laughing, but this laugh is contagious.

"This is so ridiculous!" she manages between laughs.

"What?"

"It just can't be possible! Can it?" She stops laughing and looks Henry directly in the eye. "Henry, I know this sounds crazy. I mean, I'm 48 years old! But I can't ignore what's right in front of my face. I've experienced this three times before! My god, it's so obvious. How did I not put the pieces together sooner?"

"Wait, slow down. I'm not following you." Her shift in demeanor is worrying to him.

"The exhaustion, the headaches, the almost constant nausea, last night's crying episode, and now the morning sickness. Henry… I think I'm pregnant."


	2. Chapter 2: Longest Three Minutes

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for all your reviews and follows! I'm so sorry it has taken so long to post the next chapter! I really struggled with how they would react, and plus I am in college and this semester has me crazy busy! I hope you enjoy! :)

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"How much longer?" Elizabeth asks as she nervously paces the bathroom.

Henry, who is sitting on the floor watching her, looks down at the timer on his phone before replying, "One minute."

"Oh my god this is taking forever! I never knew three minutes could last so long!"

"Yep, definitely the longest three minutes of my life," Henry agrees.

"What are we going to do if these are positive? What if I really am pregnant?"

Before he can answer, the timer goes off. Elizabeth stops in her tracks and looks over to Henry. Their eyes meet, and Henry sees the sheer terror in her eyes. He stands up and pulls her into a hug.

"Whatever happens, it's going to be okay. We'll figure it out, I promise," he whispers into her ear. She tightens her arms around him before letting him go and turning her attention to the two pregnancy tests laying face down on the sink.

Elizabeth takes a deep breath. "Ready?" she asks as she grabs Henry's hand. He nods, and they both reach for a test. "Ok. On the count of three we flip."

"3."

"2."

"1… "

Together, hand in hand, they flip the sticks. An audible gasp escapes Elizabeth's mouth as she reads the test in her hand and then the one in Henry's. Both say the same thing: PREGNANT.

"Oh my god!" Elizabeth sputters. Her eyes never leave the test as she raises her other hand to her mouth. "Does this really say what I think it says?" she asks incredulously, continuing to stare at the screen until the room begins to spin.

She slowly lowers herself to the ground, puts her head between her knees, and takes deep, shaky breaths in an attempt to calm racing her mind and heart. Her attempts are futile, however, because suddenly, her hand shoots to her mouth and she lurches toward the toilet bowl. Henry gathers her hair from her face and holds it as she vomits. Small, pathetic whimpers escape from deep within her as her stomach continues to rebel against her.

Henry rubs soothing circles across her back until she picks her head up off of the toilet seat and looks back at him. Her eyes are red and tear stained, and her nose is running. He hates seeing his strong, amazing wife look so frail and helpless. He gingerly takes her face in his hands and looks her in the eyes.

"Hey," he says softly. "Do you remember when we found out you were pregnant with Stevie?" A small smile grows on her face, which he takes as a queue to continue. "We were young and scared shitless, but we did it. We made it through, and look how well that turned out! We have an incredible daughter, and two other sensational kids."

"The only difference this time is that we're old and scared shitless," Henry adds after a moment with a devious smirk. Elizabeth laughs and smacks his arm.

"Apparently not that old," she gestures to her stomach.

"No, not that old," he echoes.

She can see the sincerity in his eyes, as Henry reaches out and lays his hand gently on her abdomen, just below her belly button. "We make the most amazing babies. I cannot wait to see how this one turns out."

She lays her hands on top of his and says, "You really think we can do this?"

"I know we can."


End file.
